2020 has been devastating.
A year to endure and worry, full of fret and concern and helplessness as we have all hoped and wished that the science being explained would be heard and understood and that governments, employers and individuals would do what was required to save lives.
It has been a year where true community spirit has been proven to be desperately important. Vulnerable or isolated households have leant on the kindness and generosity of strangers to achieve everyday tasks that they would have ordinarily been able to achieve under their own power and independence.
In a year where many have lost friends or family members, or suffered losses or hardship in their working lives, we have all had cause to reflect on how we exist and what we would like our lives to look like "when all this is over".
Now, as we enter 2021, it is clear that while the end of this pandemic is not yet clearly in sight, it is at least on the horizon and we can begin to imagine returning to some semblance of normal lives. Many of us enter this new year thinking 'what will I change' and arranging resolutions with a different energy than in previous years.
In Sustainable Harborough Community we have not been blind to the parallels between this pandemic and the Global Climate Crisis. We are very familiar with the helpless and hopeless feeling of watching governments and individuals struggle to weigh up the merits of long term and short term gains, sustainable futures vs short term wealth, and the complexities involved in these decisions.
As we leap into 2021 and prepare to emerge from the pandemic we are holding hope for enormous change.
We invite all of Harborough District to join us in ensuring that we don't just return to the old normal, or even a modified 'new normal' which is just the same as before but slightly further apart from each other. We're ready for a more radical change. Sustainable Harborough Community are keen to support and enable any green activities and projects in the Harborough District and to support individuals who share our hopes for creating a sustainable place to live.
This is no small task, but as a district we are well equipped and many existing groups and businesses are paving the way to improve our sustainability.
The pandemic has absolutely shown us the power of our community, so let's not rest our efforts, let's redouble our commitment and draw strength from one another to prove what we can do together in 2021.
How to join in...
Follow our website and take part in our 12 Months of Action.
Are you a Business or Organisation with green credentials? Please join the Harborough Green Directory.
Get involved with Sustainable Harborough Community - we will be running our own events and activities (where safely possible) through the year, and also provide links to other organisations who share our ethos.
Help us to advocate green activity by sharing your sustainable wins - We want people to recognise that sustainability can and should be commonplace.
Keep an eye on our Information Hub for articles, tips, and advice on how to make changes toward greater sustainability.